Now Desmond plans free London paper

Richard Desmond is drawing up plans to launch a free London evening newspaper in a move guaranteed to increase tensions with his arch-rival, Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail.

The Express titles' owner has been working on the idea for months and is well advanced with the details of printing and how he could produce the title with a small staff. The aim is believed to be an evening freesheet similar to Associated Newspaper'sMetro, which is distributed through Tube and railway stations each weekday morning. The title could deal a blow to Metro and to the Evening Standard, Associated's own paid-for evening newspaper.

The project has not been officially announced and Mr Desmond's spokesman refused to comment yesterday.

Express editors are thought to have been told of the plans on Thursday and given a launch month of February or March. The paper may take the mischievous title of the Evening Mail.

One source said: "Richard wants the paper to be a thorn in the side of Associated, distracting them from the battle with the Express to shore up the Evening Standard." Another added: "It's closer to a glint in the eye than absolute firm plans. But I would be amazed if there wasn't another evening paper in London by the end of next year."

Metro has proved a success since it was launched in London, followed by other editions in other cities across Britain. The Evening Standard is widely regarded to be going through a difficult patch, leaving the market open for another newspaper serving the capital's 10 million residents.

Mr Desmond has already launched the Daily Star on Sunday which is selling more than 500,000 copies a week after only a couple of months.

But taking on Metro and the Evening Standard could be tougher. Rupert Murdoch abandoned similar plans partly because Associated has long contracts tying up rail distribution of Metro.

Robert Maxwell launched the London Daily News to rival the Standard in the mid-1980s, but the title closed with losses of more than £50m after Associated resurrected the defunct Evening News at a cut price.